Keeping Your Home in Tip-Top Shape the Whole Year Round

As a homeowner, you know how important it is to ensure that everything is in good working order the whole year-round. Any disruption to any of its functions can cause a lot of inconveniences and will cost you a lot of money.

This is where preventive maintenance can do you wonders. If you get into the habit of regularly checking your home, you can easily spot potential problems and prevent them from getting worse. For instance, a regular HVAC check-up with a specialist or wood inspection around the house with a pest exterminator can help immediately address concerns with your air conditioning system or termite infestation.

Monthly

Inspect HVAC filters. As mentioned above, it is important to make sure your HVAC system is working properly at all times. One of the ways that you can keep it in great condition is by checking its filters and replacing them if needed.

Check range hood filters for cleaning. Similarly, range hood filters also need to be cleaned. It’s actually quite easy to do.

Inspect the fire extinguishers. Another easy task to do monthly is to make sure that your fire extinguishers are not blocked by any object and that its gauge shows there’s adequate pressure. Check them for visible signs of wear and tear, too.

Quarterly

Check the waterline and flush toilets in seldomly-used spaces. This applies to rooms such as the bathroom inside a guest room. Running some water through the line prevents the build-up of grime.

Test smoke detectors. Most modern smoke and carbon dioxide detectors have a test button to let you know if they are working or not. An alarm should go off to indicate that it’s good to go. If it doesn’t ring, then perhaps you need to replace the batteries and try the test again.

See if your water softener needs additional salt. Adding salt isn’t needed monthly but since it only takes about 5 seconds to check, then you might as well give it a go.

Semi-Annually

Deep clean your house. One weekend every six months should be a good enough time to give your home the deep cleaning it deserves. Clean all the walls, windows, appliances, gutters, sidings, everything. This helps keep your home in great shape for years to come.

Check and replace your smoke detectors’ batteries. It’s not just enough to replace batteries when the low-battery indicator goes on. Replace the batteries every six months.

Vacuum your fridge’s coils. Your refrigerator consumes about 15% of your power consumption so you would want it to be as efficient as possible. If the coils are dirty, the fridge uses more power. Keeping the coils clean helps you save about $100 annually.

Inspect the pressure relief valve of your water heater. Keep your water heater running efficiently by testing its pressure relief valve to prevent the build-up of corrosion and minerals.

Annually

Spring

This is the best time to give your home a really deep cleaning. You can focus on your house’s exterior and do some decluttering while you’re at it. The Family Handyman has an extensive spring cleaning checklist you can adopt at home.

Summer

Just like spring cleaning, summer is a great time to work on your home’s exterior and lawn. It’s also the most ideal time to work on home renovations and paint jobs around the house.  The Home Advisor has a great to-do list for home maintenance during summertime.

Fall

You can wrap up whatever is left from your summer home maintenance checklist at the start of fall and begin preparing your home for winter. Let Bob Vila show you how to do proper home maintenance during fall.

Winter

Winter is mostly for stuff that you have put off earlier in the year for later. Your “later” is winter. Houzz offers some ideas of what to do around the house during wintertime.

We’re all familiar with the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we do our best to faithfully administer preventive maintenance around the house, it will save us from unnecessary expenses and inconveniences.